| Peace with Justice
Sunday May 18, 2008 |
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Olivia's Sermon
| 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Finally, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the god of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. Over the past couple weeks I've been trying to figure out what to say and what I think it means to have peace with justice. I was told that it is an assertion that there can be no true peace without justice and therefore one should work for justice to create peace. So where are we supposed to start? I mean we can talk about change all we want, but where do we begin ourselves? The other day I was sitting at a traffic light with my father and we got stuck at the red light. In a way, life is like a traffic light. You know God has this whole road map, but ultimately, you decide where you want to go. And how to get there. So say you're driving to an appointment and you're already late. And you're all frustrated and you're rushing. What happens of course? You get stopped at that dumb red light. So you sit there and you wait. And it just adds to your joy as you watch all those cars passing just riding down easy street. You know they'll get to their appointment on time. What we don't realize so often is that there is a good reason for that traffic light to be there. It's the traffic lights that get you to slow down and sometimes take an involuntary breather. I mean the bottom line is that they are only there to protect you and keep you safe. And I mean what's fair is fair, right? You all have to wait your turn for the green light. God knows you want that green light. It will change soon enough. But what happens when you don't follow the road laws? You put other's lives in danger. Usually you break a law like that when you're in a rush. So you have to achieve an inner peace to keep the people around you safe. You have to start with yourself first - to achieve peace with justice for everyone around you. When you trust in God and agree with one another - when you live in inner-peace - that is the way that justice will be created. So you can sit back at the red light. Appreciate what you have. And in those moments, think of ways to give others what you have. The laws are there to protect you. This justice can cause peace. So, if everyone does their part, we can make even the smallest things, like getting from point A to point B, safer. We may not have the means to end world hunger. And when we think of whether war, immigration or the death penalty is right or wrong, or even if we can achieve peace through that, or by stopping that, we aren't sure. But why shouldn't we start by touching the lives of the people we are near? They say that a smile is contagious. So are the good acts we can do to work towards peace. And God knows that no one is perfect. But he is willing to accept all we can offer. If we try to maintain peace, then we can minimize the amount of justice needed. This is where we begin. We begin with ourselves. To love and listen and know that God is watching us all the time. And somehow or another - God knows. The more peace you uphold, the more you get the green light. |
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